Both were recently honored for 30 years of service at the FSU Service Awards Luncheon and presented with commemorative glass bowls.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Nancy Frost and Amber Harrison assembled the Ort Library's contributions for two Thanksgiving Food Baskets for area families this year.

The Ort Library participates in the campus Thanksgiving Sponsor-A-Family campaign each year. Staff members volunteer to bring two items from a suggested list, and then select additional items that will contribute to the festive nature of the holiday meal.

It's a month long collection, but we enjoy the process as well as delivering the end product.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Tim Wendel, Writer in Residence at Johns
Hopkins, http://www.timwendel.com/
gives the reader Red Rain.Wendel writes about a little known military
tactic used by the Japanese late in World War II.The Japanese designed a balloon with an
incendiary device capable of flying across the Pacific Ocean to wreak havoc on
the West Coast of the U.S.It is estimated
that nearly 10,000 devices were released, landing in 16 states in the west and
Midwest.The concept was the brainchild of the Imperial Japanese Army's Ninth Army'sNumber Nine ResearchLaboratory, under Major General Kusaba, with work performed by Technical Major Takadaand his colleagues.

With advice from MacArthur the President
made the decision to keep the balloon landings from the population surrounding
the landing areas.When the Japanese
realized that no word was coming from the U.S. about the effects of the balloon
flights, Japan made the incorrect assumption that their plan was not working
and stopped the project.As more
information was learned after the war ended, it was discovered that the
Japanese were making plans to use the balloons for biological warfare.

Wendel draws his characters from those
who were involved with the fire balloon project, the Japanese internment camps
in the U.S., and the fire fighters of Arizona who fought the fires.Yoshi Minagi, a victim of the Civilian
Exclusion Order, was sent to the internment camp at Manzanar, California.While there, she and her family learn to
adjust to imprisonment.The military soon discover that Yoshi can
speak English and Japanese.Lt. Starling
gives her the training and briefs her on what she needs to learn.She leaves her family at Manzanar goes to
Japan to get the intelligence needed about the fire balloons.

Yoshi makes the trip to Japan in a
submarine and meets her contact on shore.From the beginning, Yoshi finds it difficult to separate herself from
the Japanese.Her job in a factory enables
her to meet Takata, the genius behind the balloons.As she spends time in the factory and talks
with Takata, she realizes she is making the material for the balloons.Yoshi and Takata begin to become attracted to
each other which makes Yoshi’s decision even more difficult.Does she provide the information needed to the
U.S. or does she protect Takata?

While Yoshi is in Japan gathering what
she needs on the balloons, Lt. Starling is in Arizona fighting the fires with
the local firemen.He knows that he
cannot divulge the cause of the fire even when a damaged balloon is found.The tension among the firefighters battling
the blazes and their differences adds to the reality of the story.

For an exciting read on the Japanese in
the U.S., the incendiary balloons launched by the Japanese, and firefighting
scenes, turn to Red Rain.Wendel keeps
your interest and add to the history of Japan and the U.S.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Small business owners, marketing students, and more may be interested in trying out the Census Bureau's new tool, the "Census Business Builder."

The primary purpose of the Census Business Builder is to help small business owners review demographic and economic information for geographic areas. This helps them to determine whether certain locations would be a good spot for starting or moving their business.

The page includes links to videos and other tutorials to help you get started. The video below provides a basic introduction to the tool.

In addition to the Census Business Builder, the Census Bureau provides a great variety of tools that can help you with your statistical research. Check out some of them here: Census Data Tools & Apps.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

In 1984 a conference was held that would launch a movement; TED. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. TED is a nonprofit foundation that sparked TED talks. These downloadable free speeches (www.ted.com) are given by the top leaders, scientists and artists covering a large and interesting range of topics. The speeches are required to be under 18 minutes and to easily convey an understanding of complex topics. The talks can range from the status of the world's food supply to how to teach kids to love science. Carmine Gallo has studied the techniques of the most popular TED speakers to find out what makes a speech great. He has compiled these learned skills into 9 rules that all public speakers can use to make their speeches successful, dynamic and fun. This easily read and quick paced book (much like a TED talk) teaches people, who may have struggled with public speaking, easy techniques to rapidly improve their skills. Gallo's book, Talk Like TED, is also full of personal stories and humorous anecdotes from the TED speakers. The reader will learn that James Cameron, a diver since age 15, wanted to film the movie Titanic because it was a way to fund a deep sea dive to see the actual wreckage of the ship. The reader will learn from artists like photographer Chris Jordan who used art at his TED talk to convey the increasing rates for cosmetic surgery on girls under age 18. The book, while teaching the public speaking skills, also inspires the reader to be curious and invested in our world, from the global level to the small families we create. If you are interested in checking out this great book for yourself, you can request this volume from the Ort Library catalog here: Talk Like TEDClick on "Availability", then click on the yellow "Request" button, and login using your last name and 14-digit Library barcode number on your ID. If you need assistance, please contact the Circulation Desk at 301-687-4395.We hope to see you soon!

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Do you face
challenges finding vital research information for your class paper or project,
thesis, dissertation, article or book you are writing, or that workplace report
you need to submit? Dr. Seán Henry will host two open "library tips and tools" sessions to help you with these, whether you are a student,
faculty or staff member.

When:

Tues., Nov. 17: 3:30 – 5 PM

Wed., Nov. 18: 6 – 7:30 PM

Where: Ort Library Instruction Classroom (Library 316 – just
inside the main entrance to the left) Light refreshments will be served!

These sessions
are open to the entire FSU community. Please bring any research questions
you have. Even if you are a seasoned researcher, you might want to consider
stopping by to see what’s new!

The 90-minute
open sessions will cover:

Using expert tips to develop effective search
strategies

Finding books, eBooks, articles, and more using the
library discovery tool OneSearch

Sunday, November 8, 2015

The Ort Library is pleased to announce several new displays
for November. The first display located on the 3rd floor of the
library showcases Susan B. Anthony who was arrested in November 1872 for voting
in the presidential election. The display includes several newspaper articles
from the New York Times Historical Newspaper that discuss her trial and
its outcome.

The second display, also on the 3rd floor of the
library, highlights information about the Children’s Literature Centre
Storybook Holiday that will be held on December 5, 2015. The display also
includes some children’s books on Christmas and winter that are available in
the library.

The third display, located on the 4th floor,
highlights the only president of the United States who was elected to
four-terms in office, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This display also highlights
some of the books that we have in the library’s collection on FDR.

The fourth display also located on the 4th
floor, highlights Diabetes Awareness Month. It includes information on diabetes
and helpful hints and tips for staying healthy. It also includes resources from
the library’s collection.

The fifth display is located on the 5th floor
and celebrates the 180th anniversary of the birthday of Mark Twain.
It includes information on his early life and his extensive bibliography.
Besides being a novelist, Twain was a prolific travel writer as well. This
display also includes resources on Twain from the library’s collection.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

The Halloween season is a perfect time to read Clint McCown's novel, Haints. The story begins and ends with a sailor returning to his grandfather's property in the Tennessee Valley on February 29, 1952. Signalman 3rd Class Ronald Dawson briefly relives the events preceding the sinking of his ship, the USS Partridge. He feels responsible for the eight dead and six wounded. As he stands haunted by the memory of the disaster, he sees the dark spiral that will sweep through the small town below. The reader takes the fatal leap with him.

Just moments before the tornado hits, we are introduced to the novel's first character, Herb Gatlin. He and his neighbors are all haunted by some secret from the past. They are entwined because they share the same small town space where evil spirits or "haints" linger. Hidden connections between characters are revealed throughout the novel. The tornado that sweeps through the town cuts through many facades including the invisible barrier that had divided the white and black sections of the town.

The term "haint" is Southern slang for ghost. Juba to Jive: A Dictionary of African-American Slang edited by Clarence Major defines it as "ghost, spirit, specter, phantom, apparition, a disembodied spirit; probably a corruption of haunt and dates the noun from the 1690's to 1940's." (p. 219)

The word "haints" echoes throughout the novel that also has a biographical connection. McCown shared that information during an interview in 2013.

Haints is available with New Books displayed on Floor 3 of the Ort Library. Other works by McCown available at the library include: